Metro News & Reviews

As the Lakers head to The Finals, so does MetroRiderLA’s NBA Playoffs (of Transit) series

Much of L.A. has been closely following their home team as the Lakers have made their way through the Playoffs and tip off tonight in the first game of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.

But how many locals have been following the less glamorous, but equally as riveting, NBA Playoffs (of Transit) – a series from my blogging alma mater, MetroRiderLA, that pits rival city’s transit systems against one another.

Here’s how Wad, long-time MetroRiderLA scribe and brains behind the Playoffs (of Transit), describes the series in his introductory post:

Unlike the actual NBA and the Fall Classic (of Transit), the NBA Playoffs 2010 (of Transit) will base all games on best-3-of-5.

Game 1 looks at bus services near each team’s arena. It evaluates the number of lines, the service frequency, and whether there are special events buses and buses available to leave night games.

Game 2 looks at urban rail services near each team’s arena. These are streetcar, light or heavy rail lines with frequent services. In the event of two cities meeting that have no urban rail, the tie-breaker will be based on any plans for building urban rail.

Game 3 looks at mainline rail services operating in the cities. These would be commuter rail and Amtrak services. They only have to serve the city, not necessarily the arena.

Game 4 looks at the transit agencies’ websites. This is mostly qualitative, but findings will be explained clearly. Basic criteria: presentation of Web site, ease of navigation, information for new riders as well as site organization. Use of PDFs for bus schedules is considered a technical foul.

Game 5 will use the teams’ actual 2009-2010 season record. Teams with more wins, win.

In a nutshell: a winning city is a city that has an arena that’s transit friendly and an easy to navigate website.

The Finals (of Transit) puts Metro up against some fierce competition – the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Read MetroRiderLA’s preview of the match up and make sure to follow the series through the end for the final outcome. I’m rooting for L.A. in basketball and transit.